Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

The niche fad for so-called “hazmat whiskeys” underlines that there are two ways to view a cask strength or otherwise high proof bottle of whiskey. The traditional and more widely shared view is that a cask strength whiskey is essentially a concentrate, because palate fatigue is a thing, and the point is to dial the liquid down to the desired strength. Some cask strength releases can be enjoyed as is, but only some, and even fewer are actually at their best at their bottle proof. The other view is that strong whiskey puts hair on your chest, and the more you have to suppress the wince the better.

As the title tells us, this is a 118 proof version of the standard Still Austin Bourbon, which is about 20 points higher than the standard bourbon (98.4 proof). Still Austin Bottled in Bond Bourbon has a different age attached to it, but comes from the same stock and sits right in the middle. That stock is made from a 70% locally grown and milled white corn (if you enjoy local bakery-made tortillas in Austin, it’s the same stuff), 25% rye (note: 25% isn’t high rye) and 5% malted barley mash.

The Bourbon
This one is proof of Kurt Maitland’s dictum, that stronger whiskey is better whiskey. That might sound odd, given my introduction, but one needs to keep in mind that I dialed my sample down to about 10 points stronger than the stuff I tried three years ago. It’s darker, and the nose is crisper. The scent and palate were better balanced and weightier than the standard version, bringing out more rye spice and oak, while adding a note of earthy cocoa to the candied caramel. Simply put, taking things up a couple of notches brought more out of the liquid, and that really is the point of being cask strength. It’s not about putting hair on your chest, but finding the right mark for you.

The Price
As good as the contents is the price tag: $60. Compare that to a lot of the cask strength regulars out there, and one can see how fair, even inexpensive that is.